Seattle City Council: Where the power lies

As a new mayor takes office, key jobs at the Seattle City Council will stay put under a new alignment of committee chairs announced late Thursday by the council’s president Richard Conlin.

Councilman Tim Burgess, a onetime cop, will remain as chairman of the Public Safety and Education Committee, where he will oversee confirmation of whoever incoming Mayor Mike McGinn chooses as the new police chief.

Two-term Councilwoman Jean Godden holds onto the powerful job as chair of the Finance and Budget Committee, which oversees city spending.

Councilwoman Sally Clark will chair the Committee of the Built Environment, with focus on the planned expansion of Seattle’s Children’s Hospital and conflicts with the hospital’s Laurelhurst neighbors.

Councilman Bruce Harrell will chair the Energy and Technology Committee, traditional overseer of Seattle City Light and the city’s relationship with the Bonneville Power Administration.

As well, Conlin announced new assignments.

The council president — intensely interested in such issues as food policy and waste disposal — will chair the Sustainability and Regulatory Development Committee. He will also preside over Economic Development and Libraries.

Fellow rookie Mike O’Brien will chair a new committee covering Seattle Public Utilities and Neighborhoods.

Just elected to his fourth term, Councilman Nick Licata will chair the Human Services and Culture Committee, plus a new housing panel.

The council is expected to assume greater influence over the city’s direction than at any time since it last welcomed a new mayor without experience in municipal government — Charley Royer, who took office in 1978.